Tomáš Řenč revealed his nutrition strategy with which he defended his championship title in the long triathlon

On Saturday 19.6. the Moraviaman Long Triathlon Championship of the Czech Republic took place. Simona Křivánková won in the women's category, Tomáš Řenč defended his first place in the men's category, who shared his impressions of the race with us and also let us see his training and racing nutrition strategy.

Tomáš, you have won at Moraviaman. Huge congratulations on a great performance! How did you enjoy the race?

I enjoyed it in every way. Even though it was a start-finish style, at the end of the cycling a Polish competitor started to catch up with me and only after the half-marathon, when I kept increasing the pace, did he give up and I could finally be at peace :-D We experienced difficult hot weather, but fortunately a little it was windy and thanks to the good work of the organizers at the refreshment points, the race was manageable. I am very happy that I was able to defend the victory again and I have achieved one goal for this year.

I assume that the training for the 2021 season was completely different than previous years due to covid. How did you survive this time?

On the bike I was locked up at home on the trainer. I now have a Wahoo brand and along with it and the Rouvy app I have worked on higher performance. It was not possible to swim, I only started swimming outside when the water outside was around 8 degrees, but it was more like getting to know the water after a long time, no quality training. This only happened at the beginning of June with the opening of the swimming pools, and I was pleasantly surprised that the swimming was not bad at all, considering that I had swam 15 km in 5 months (I normally swim around 80 km per month). I started to believe in success this season. I maintained my performance on the run, maybe even improved it a little, but that will only be shown in races with better competition. At that time, our eMsport store was closed, so I was at work only occasionally, I could not have joint training sessions with my charges, I only attended to them remotely.

With your achievements and performance, I assume that you have considerable goals ahead of you. What have you set for yourself for the next season?

After defending the championship title, I have been striving for a long time to participate in the World Championship in Hawaii under the banner of Ironman, it means to win the Ironman World Cup. In 2019, I was just over 4 minutes short of that, at least then I set a Czech record of 7:54:05. I am planning another attempt in August at the Ironman in Copenhagen. The next peak will be in the middle of September at the World Championship in long triathlon (at Ironman distances) under the banner of the ITU (International Triathlon Union), but everything can be different, the time is unpredictable :-(

Have you made any changes in your preparation compared to previous years?

There were several of them, the first change was already at the end of last year, when I started using Tested on Humans nutrition, under which there are several brands that are built on quality natural substances. Everything suited me and I'm very happy about it, it's a big part of the success. Next, I started virtual cycling, as I already mentioned, and my other new partner is the company Progresscycle, which provided me with tires and a saddle.

Of course, we cannot fail to mention the change in your nutritional partner, which led you to this.

I used the Enervit brand for several years, and at the Czech Cup half-way race in Doksy, I was given the Skratch ionic drink at the announcement. After trying it, I was impressed by the taste and also the effects, which will help me from dehydration, provide minerals and energy. I studied something on the internet and was tempted to try more.

Can you tell us about your favorite products that you use during training?

During more intense training, Skratch Labs ionic drink , when I ride a bike for a bit longer (over 4 hours), I take Skratch Labs energy bars in my pocket. After these trainings, I will use Dymatize ISO 100 Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolate together with Vitargo Pure for faster regeneration and muscle protection, and Kaged Muscle Amino Synergy if the muscles hurt a lot.

What about race food? We know you're not a fan of energy gels, even in the race.

Yes, that was one of the key things why I wanted the change. I am not a nutritionist, I just follow my feelings and what is good for the body. During the race, I was always quite limited when I had to go to the bathroom while running. Every little thing really matters in a race. So I don't use gels on the bike anymore and so far it works, I'm not hungry and I don't lose energy, so I rode Moraviaman only on water and Sport Superfuel Drink Mix and everything worked without a forced stop.

A lot of competitors have a learned formula: "race = I have to buy a ton of gels, otherwise I won't finish". Will you tell us your favorite combination for the race?

I eat a little more breakfast before the race, but I don't eat anything until two hours before the start. Afterwards, I just drink an ionic drink and take two or three Skratch Labs Sport Energy Chews jelly candies, which I like, so they not only give me energy, but also relieve a little stress. In the race, I have two bottles of Sport Superfuel Drink Mix and water mixed on my bike. I drink Superfuel every fifteen minutes and drink water depending on the temperature. On the run, I use the refreshment stations, where I usually take a Coke, water and sometimes a gel in my jersey pocket, which I then open in front of the station and then drink it down with water at the refreshment station. I'm an omnivore and I don't suffer from any cramps or stomach problems.

You have revealed enough :)! Aren't you afraid that your opponents will try it too?

Not at all, I really like to pass on my experience, that's why I started training. According to the results, I'm not doing it wrong, so it would be a shame if I kept it to myself :-) The final performance is a puzzle of several things, and diet is only one part that can help the performance a lot, but also really spoil it.

Tomas, thanks and good luck in the next races

Thank you very much for the pleasant interview and I hope that I have attracted more competitors who will stand at the start of the triathlon.